Wednesday, August 24, 2016
If I had to choose a favorite band/muscian/etc, I'd probably have to go with Runrig, a scots folk-rock band that has been performing in various configurations since 1973. Founding members Calum & Rory MacDonald are still part of the band (after 43 years!) and two other current members have been around since 1978 (Malcolm Jones) and 1980 (Ian Bayne). They drew approximately 15000 fans for their 40th anniversary concert in 2013 and regularly tour Britain and Europe - and the vast majority of folks in the US have never heard of them.
I first heard their music when I was in graduate school (likely around 1989) - their album The Cutter and the Clan was reviewed in one of the celtic music newsletters I received back then, and when I stumbled across a used copy in a record store in New Haven (yup, an actual LP!) I picked it up cheap and really enjoyed the sound. And then didn't hear anything else of their for well over a decade, because the internet barely existed at that time and almost nobody in the US had heard of these guys. Then, sometime in the early 2000's, I reluctantly started converting to CDs (I'm always a late adopter - I resisted switching from VHS to DVD until 2001-2002, when the 2nd season of Farscape was only released on DVD, and even then it was several years before I switched over exclusively to DVDs.) And started frequenting Ebay. And figured out that one could purchase all sorts of used Runrig CDs for a good deal less than their retail cost - which was good, because by then there were some 14-15 albums available, some studio, some live, and some compilations. Since then I've stayed fairly up-to-date with their new releases and even picked up 5 or 6 concert DVDs - probably the closest I'll ever be to seeing the band perform.
Today I received my copy of their latest studio album, The Story - which they've said will likely be their last studio work. And I am simultaneously thrilled to have 11 new Runrig songs to enjoy and very sad to think that this is the last time that will happen.
They closed out their 40th anniversary concert saying "we're not done yet", and I've read that Calum MacDonald has said in interviews that the band isn't ready to retire yet... but this strikes me as a reminder that the day they do is coming, and it will likely be sooner rather than later. Sigh.
Two more comments about the new album (which I've listened to while working on this...)
- the final track is called "Somewhere" and closes with a transmission between NASA ground control and Commander Laurel Clark on the space shuttle Columbia in 2003 - the mission which ended with the shuttle exploding on re-entry. Commander Clark was a fan and had two Runrig CDs with her - both were eventually recovered in the wreckage. Powerful stuff. (More about that story can be found here - I recommend having a box of tissues handy unless you're made of sterner stuff than I am.)
- Prior to the release of the album back in January, the band released the title track along with the music video. Here it is:
Back when they were getting ready for their 40th anniversary concert and tour, they released a single called "And We'll Sing" - and that seems to me to be the best way to close this out. So here it is, from the 2013 concert...
